Just Say No to Friends
by Cho-kun Moot
Summary: Phoenix/Miles, mostly after chapter one. UNFINISHED, and will probably stay that way. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't post uncompleted stories because I have issues finishing things.
1. Alcohol Solves Everything

**AN- Okay, I'm really hoping I'll actually have the attention span to finish this one. Critiques are wanted, I'd love to improve this. Future chapters will be Pheeny/Edgey, but this first one is just silly and comical. Also, I'm underage, so if there's something strange about the bar scene please tell me. I'm pretty sure I didn't make it detailed enough for too many mistakes, but just in case. Thanks for reading!**

**I don't own any of these characters, only the story I'm throwing them in is mine.**

* * *

Miles Edgeworth was serious about his job as a prosecutor. He didn't believe it was worth his time to do pointless things for amusement, and he saw no real benefit from being social. Besides, he was raised to think that affection was a sign of weakness. He was independent. Lately, however, he's been allowing a few people get a little close to him for the first time in… well, years. He didn't return any of their displays of friendliness, but just letting anyone into his life, even a little, was a big step for him. These 'friends', if you could call them that, were on his mind more and more often, even if he never showed it. Especially one in particular, he noted. He didn't understand why, but ever since the trial against him and the conclusion of the DL-6 incident, he's been woken up at night with a racing pulse from something other than nightmares…

Miles was in his office, staring out the window and drinking a cup of freshly brewed English tea. The view of the evening sky from the eleventh story was beautiful, but he wasn't really focusing on it. He let his tired eyes relax as he inhaled the rich smell of his drink and let his mind wander. After a few minutes his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a familiar voice grating on his ears.

"Yo, Miles!" Larry Butz said in an unnecessarily loud voice. Phoenix Wright and Dick Gumshoe followed him into the well-furnished room. All three of them were wearing casual clothes- this wasn't a business visit. "You aren't busy, right?"

Miles hesitated, collecting his thoughts and stopping himself from getting angry at the unwelcome intrusion. He took a slow breath and set his cup down on the windowsill. "Don't call me that, and no. Why?"

"Well," Phoenix started, "We three were just thinking-"

"-Since, you know, you're always so busy, and we've never really hung out-" Dick continued.

"-That you're coming with us tonight!" Larry finished.

The prosecutor stared blankly at the three morons standing in front of him for an uncomfortable moment. "…Coming with you to where, exactly?"

"To the Joint!" Larry said with a large smile, as though that answered everything.

Phoenix stepped forward to explain. "He means the place we always hang out at. It's a little bar downtown."

Miles shook his head and turned back toward the window. "And you thought I'd want to go to a place like that with you three because…?" The room was silent; then Dick suddenly appeared next to him, grinning.

"Sorry, Mr. Edgeworth, but we insist."

The shorter man's heart skipped a little, purely out of the natural reaction of having someone so big towering over him, but he quickly remembered who he was talking to. His eyes narrowed into a glare and he crossed his arms over his chest. "The answer is _no_, detective."

"Actually," said Phoenix, who was suddenly on his other side, "It was more of a statement than a question."

Larry came and stood between Dick and Phoenix, essentially cornering the now nervous man. "It's like we said, you're coming with us."

Miles tried to keep his cool the best he could, but his ever-stoic expression twitched a little at the effort. "What are you going to do, force me?"

"We'd rather not, pal," Dick beamed, laying a large hand on his shoulder. "That's up to you, isn't it?"

"That would be kidnapping, which is against the law, _detective_."

"Then," Larry said, smiling, "I guess we're kidnappers!"

Miles couldn't believe what he was hearing. The men had him blocked on all sides, and there was a window to his back- this was obviously planned, which is quite a feat considering those three. He willed his face to hold its usual unruffled frown even though his heart was pounding and his thoughts racing. "You… can't just abduct me out of my own office!" No one responded. "…..Wright, help me out here!" His spiky-haired rival just smiled and didn't move. "You- Wright, you can't be serious!"

At that moment Dick grabbed Miles' other shoulder and began pushing him toward the door. Of course the poor guy tried to struggle and protested quite loudly with intricate threats peppered with swears, but it was to no avail. Dick was simply much bigger and stronger than he was, and Phoenix and Larry weren't doing anything to help. What's worse is the fact that nobody in the building offered any assistance, even though the whole block could probably hear him.

After much fuss, including a few bruises and more curses than should ever be said in one sitting, they managed to get him down to the basement parking lot and into Dick's car. By that point Miles was tired and panting heavily and was just about out of insults.

"Come on, Miles," Phoenix said as he joined him in the backseat. "When was the last time you took a break from work?"

"Yeah man!" Larry pitched in, jumping in the front as Dick took the driver's seat and started the car. "This is for your own good!"

"'My own good'?" He spat venomously. "'_My own good_'?? Since when is forcefully abducting someone against their will for their '_**own good**_'?? If I needed a break I'd spend it at home with some tea and a book, not with you imbeciles!!"

They tried to calm him down and explain, but he simply wasn't having it. During almost the whole ride the conversation stayed the same; everything his kidnappers would say Miles would only respond with more verbal abuse. He eventually regained his composure, but another argument broke out when they told him he should take off his cravat and suit jacket- the place they were going wasn't exactly high-class. He refused, at first, but agreed when they arrived and he saw what they meant. The Joint was an Irish-esque pub with a hint of classic American sports bar. The actual bar along with two large TVs was on one side of the wide room, and there were a few arcade games and pool tables on the other. The walls were lined with booths raised a foot off the ground. It had a warm atmosphere, and there was a clatter of voices loud enough to challenge the volume of the music from the jukebox.

Miles considered running, but he was coerced inside before he knew what happened. The four took a seat in one of the booths and a waitress quickly came over to them. Her uniform was simply a sleeveless black shirt with a matching pleated skirt, a frilled apron, and a beret over her bobbed black hair.

"What can I get y'all today?" She asked cutely with a thick southern drawl. Dick immediately declared that he wanted the hardest whiskey they had. Larry ordered something cheap off the tap, and Phoenix got some sort of cream ale. Then everyone turned to Miles, making him feel even more uncomfortable than he already was.

He shifted a bit, but kept his ever-perfect posture. "…I don't normally drink liquor…" It was mostly true- the only true liquor he's had before was wine, and he always drank that slowly enough to avoid the effects of the alcohol.

The waitress smiled understandingly. "Well, we got other-"

"Hey," Larry cut in, "We didn't bring him here to keep him sober! Just get him whatever you bring me, cutie."

"Alrighty then." She was apparently used to being hit on, since she just smiled and calmly turned to go behind the bar.

Miles looked questioningly at the blond across the table and sort of off-handedly mentioned that he thought he had a girlfriend. Larry started fumbling and put on his nervous smile, trying to laugh it off. He was terrible at keeping secrets, or hiding his emotions in general. Phoenix rolled his eyes and interpreted for everyone else- she dumped him. Of course this made Larry mad, and he denied it and tried to explain that she didn't dump him, per say, she just wasn't talking to him at the moment… And was seeing other guys. Miles gave him a 'are you really that stupid?' glare while Phoenix and Dick tried not to laugh. The intelligence of the discussion didn't improve until they were interrupted by the return of the waitress with their drinks, carefully balanced on a large saucer. She skillfully passed out each one in a flashy manner, somehow managing not to spill. When she got to Miles, though, she subtly hesitated, winked at him, then twirled to leave in a way that ruffled her short skirt suggestively.

Dick and Larry immediately started downing their drinks, and Phoenix was going to join them when he noticed Miles had that spacey, thoughtful look on his face he gets when there's something on his mind.

"Miles? What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

The prosecutor blinked and looked up. "What? Oh, nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Larry said, setting his now half-empty glass down.

Miles' cheeks pinkened. "It's nothing, really… I mean, the waitress just…"

Dick slammed his mug down with a snicker. "What, you've never been hit on before?"

"Of course I have," he snapped back. "They just aren't usually so… casually blatant."

Now Larry started snickering. "'Usually'? You mean it happens often?"

"What're you talking about, pal?" Gumshoe said, furrowing his fuzzy eyebrows. "Mr. Edgeworth here is a lady killer!"

Phoenix nodded and held his drink to his lips. "Yeah, your type seems to be what women like today," he agreed.

The blush on Miles' face deepened. "'My type'?"

"Face it, pal," Dick said, playfully elbowing him in the side. "You're a pretty boy. Girls love that sort of thing."

"I am not a 'pretty boy'!" He insisted, thoroughly embarrassed. This was a mistake. He should have bolted for the door a long time ago.

"Come on, you've got the pretty, well-kept hair," Larry pointed out.

"And the pretty face and good fashion sense," added Dick.

"And the pretty eyes that are icy and piercing," Phoenix finished. By this point poor Miles' face almost matched the deep reddish-mauve color of his suit pants. He turned his head away angrily and grabbed one of his arms, pushing his shoulders slightly out of posture but not quite slouching. He always made this defensive pose when he was being particularly emotional or dramatic, or both. It actually bothered him, but it was a nervous habit, and was therefore hard to break. He glanced back and paused when he noticed Larry was staring straight at him.

"Whoa, you're right about the eyes. Never noticed that before."

"Could we _please_ talk about something else?" Miles said through clenched teeth, one eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"All right, all right, calm down," Phoenix advised, wearing that goofy grin of his. "We're sorry. Just have a drink and relax."

Of course, he dreaded the thought of consuming whatever it was that sat in front of him, but he really didn't want to continue the conversation either. Taking a deep breath, he reluctantly picked up the mug in front of him and brought it to his lips. He had almost mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do when Dick cut in.

"No, no, you gotta take a big swig, all at once!" the detective said loudly, grinning. Again, Miles didn't want to bother arguing, so he just held his breath and threw his head back. He immediately regretted it, and had to put his hand to his mouth to keep from coughing it back up. The rest of the table simultaneously burst out laughing.

"That-(cough)-was disgusting," he spat.

Phoenix held back another snigger. "Yeah, nobody likes it at first."

"Then why in the hell does anybody do it in the first place?" he said, glowering.

"Lots of reasons, pal," Dick answered. "Lots of reasons."

"We just need to find a drink you like," Larry said as he claimed Miles' current drink. He let out a long, regretful breath but didn't protest. This was going to be a long, long night.

Miles ended up trying five or six different drinks, all of which he tasted once and refused to touch again. The alcohol sooner or later had an effect, however, because he eventually managed to relax a little. After a while he had forgotten how much he had drunk, and he couldn't figure out why he couldn't focus on anything or talk right, but fuck it- he felt good. Time seemed to blur together into a big, fuzzy mess, leaving just random bits and pieces-

Larry hitting on all the waitresses and some random girls, and getting a lot of phone numbers;

Dick pressuring him to chug some of his whiskey;

Phoenix getting just as drunk as he was and the two of them attempting, but not succeeding, to sing something;

And all four of them laughing at something, which, although he had no idea what the joke was, was apparently hilarious.

He almost hated to admit it, but he actually enjoyed himself that night. That is, in the parts he could remember he seemed to be happy enough. It didn't occur to him at the time that he would wake up the next morning confused, with the worst headache of his life, and all memory of night lost in his drunken stupor.


	2. Just Like a Sister

**AN- Yay chapter two! I haven't revised this one at all besides a few little things. This is pretty much the rough draft. Critique please! And thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. I'll revise all the chapters once they're all up. Which now may be more than three chapters. I really don't know where I'm going with this freakin' thing. --;;**

* * *

Miles woke to a sick thumping sound, like a bass drum being beaten against his skull. It took him a while to figure out that it was coming from inside his head. When he tried to open his eyes he found the blaring like of… well, wherever he was, only added to his pulsing headache. He silently listed all the curses he could think of.

Eventually the pain subsided just enough to let him sit up and observe his surroundings. He was on a drab blue-gray couch somewhere unfamiliar, and there was a blanket on top of him. He was wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday- his usual mauve suit pants, a white dress shirt, and a black embroidered vest, but his suit jacket and cravat where nowhere to be found. After a moment he realized that he smelled strongly of alcohol and perspiration. Then it hit him- he had gotten drunk last night. Miles Edgeworth actually went to a common bar and got drunk on cheap beer. This was going to haunt his pride forever.

Just then Phoenix, of all people, entered the room. He was in his pajamas, and his usually perfectly spiked hair was lopsided, as though he had slept on it. "Oh, you're up. Hang on." He left again and returned with a glass of water and a couple of aspirin, which he handed to his guest. "How do you feel?"

"Like killing myself," Miles grunted. He quickly and gratefully downed the aspirin and water. Then he looked around again. "Where am I?"

"Well," Phoenix started, putting one hand behind his head and smiling nervously, "You passed out and we couldn't get into your house or your office, so we brought you to my place." There was a pause as Miles let that information sink in. Then, a little out of the blue, Phoenix asked, "Do you remember much of last night?"

Miles thought for a moment. "…I'm not sure. It gets more difficult to recall after each drink I tasted. I don't even remember leaving the bar."

The blue-eyed host let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Oh, so you don't…" He left the sentence half-completed. Miles wanted to ask him what he meant, but at that moment there was a loud knock on the door as Dick let himself in.

"Hey pal, is he awake yet?" the detective said cheerfully. Damn, was Miles the only one who actually had a hangover? Fate had some sick sense of humor.

"Barely," Phoenix responded, smiling slightly. He walked toward the doorway on the other side of the room. "If you'll excuse me, I still have to get the drunken smell off myself."

Dick sniggered. "Yeah, you do that. I can smell ya from here." Once Phoenix left the detective walked over to the couch Miles was on, a smile plastered on his face. Somehow that pissed the silver-haired man off. "Good morning, Mr. Edgeworth!"

Miles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gumshoe, what in the hell did I do?"

"You got drunk and passed out," Dick answered simply.

The prosecutor hesitated to keep his temper in check. "A little more detail, if you would."

There was a pause as Dick thought about how to answer. "…Well, how much do you remember?"

Miles shook his head. "It gets blurry after the fifth drink or so I tried… Ugh, I didn't actually drink any of your whiskey, did I?"

Dick laughed. "Oh man, you got smashed after a taste of some real hard liquor. You're kind of an angry drunk."

"An… angry drunk?" Miles asked, looking up with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he started, scratching his head and looking away, "You were mostly having a good time, but you got mad at everyone a lot faster than usual. You even cussed out the waitress that was flirting with you."

The color drained from Miles' face. "Oh god…" If word of this got out, his reputation would be ruined. Another check off the list of why this is the worst morning ever.

"I never realized you and Phoenix are such good buddies."

Miles abruptly shot him confused glare at the sudden comment. "We aren't."

Dick tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement. "Really? Well, I assumed, since he's the only one you didn't yell at all night. In fact, you got sort of clingy to him, so I thought-"

"'Clingy'?" he interrupted.

"Yeah, you know, friendly and stuff. You two make good drinking buddies."

Miles sighed, seeing the conversation was going nowhere fast. "…Could you please just take me home now, detective? I really need a shower."

"Sure thing, pal."

* * *

After he cleaned up, he had a cab take him back to the prosecutor's building, where his car had been left. There was work waiting for him, which he was grateful for; he just wanted to forget about this whole mess and get back on routine. But after an hour or more, he realized he wasn't focusing at all. Why was that? By now his hang over was gone, and he's had to work on less sleep before. He contemplated it more, his eyes no longer seeing the paperwork in front of him, and a little voice in the back of his mind said something was wrong. But what? Something about last night? Something… Something Wright said…

"_Oh, so you don't…"_

Miles snapped his head up. He didn't what? Why would Wright say that, unless… Something important happened last night. He didn't know what, but he was going to find out. He got up and quickly walked out, the papers on his desk forgotten. Nobody said a word as they watched him storm out of the building.

He got in his car and before he knew it he was parked and walking up to his rival's porch. Hesitating, he gathered his thoughts, then took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

…_Of course he isn't home, _he thought. _He probably had to go to work too. Now I feel foolish. He's not going to answer-_

The door opened. There was an awkward pause as Phoenix and Miles stared at each other in surprise. Phoenix was wearing plain jeans and a gray t-shirt, and his hair had been fixed since that morning.

"Mil- I mean, Edgeworth? What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked, extremely confused.

Miles willed his expression to be stoic. "We need to talk. May I?" He motioned toward the door.

Phoenix stood aside to let him in, still shocked by the visit. "Oh, yeah, come in."

After the door closed, Miles wasted no time in getting to the point. "Wright, what happened last night?"

"What?" Phoenix stiffened up, but tried to stay composed. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Wright, something happened last night, and the alcohol blanked part of my memory."

"I- I don't know, I was drunk too." His response was stammered and he was smiling nervously.

Miles took two steps toward him. "I think you remember something I don't."

Phoenix knew what the other man was doing. He was familiar with the prosecutor's methods of intimidation and persuasion; he's seen them used in court many times before. He took a deep breath and moved to the other side of the room to avoid being cornered. "Why would you think that?" He responded, seeming calmer than he was a moment before. "And even if you're right, how do you know it's significant? People do stupid things when they're intoxicated."

"Don't play this game with me, Wright," he growled. "This morning you asked if I remembered last night."

"Because my memory is kinda fuzzy, so I wondered if yours was too," Phoenix said, shrugging.

Miles shook his head. "But then you said something else, and you seemed relieved that I had no idea what you were talking about. How do you explain that?" Now Phoenix started to falter, and Miles cut him off his stuttered response with a cold, "Don't lie to me, Wright."

There was a long pause. Phoenix bit his lip, then opened his mouth to say something when his cell phone suddenly went off. Startled a bit, he quickly fumbled it out of his pocket. Pausing only to see who it was, he gratefully brought it up to his ear, completely cutting off the previous uncomfortable conversation. Miles narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"Hey Maya!… No, why?... Sure. I'll meet you there in a little bit…Okay, sure. Bye." He returned the phone to his pocket and assumed his usual childish grin, looking very relieved. "Sorry, Edgeworth, I need to go meet Maya somewhere."

Miles' eyes flashed with anger and annoyance, but he quickly steeled his face again. "Of course, Wright. We'll just continue this discussion another time." The silver-haired man calmly turned around and let himself out. The way he said that last statement made Phoenix shudder a little. He hoped they wouldn't continue the discussion. Ever. It'd be best for them both if they just forgot last night happened.

Once Miles' car was out of sight, Phoenix shook his head and returned his thoughts to the present. With a little sigh he slipped on his shoes and checked his wallet, since he was probably going to end up paying for Maya. A short walk later found him at a familiar restaurant. The interior was warm and cheery and smelled inviting. He scanned the room, found his medium friend, and went to sit with her.

She perked up when she saw him sitting down across from her. "Hey Nick! Have fun last night?"

He grinned. She always knew what he was up to. Like a nosey little sister. "As far as I can tell, yeah. Did you already order?"

"Yep. You always get the same thing." She rested her chin in both hands and leaned into the table slightly. "What do mean by that? Did you get drunk?"

Phoenix put a hand behind his head and laughed. "That is generally why people go to bars, yes." She smiled and stared at him, silently demanding something. He sighed. "You want details, don't you?"

"Duh! Did guys you actually get Mr. Edgeworth to go with you this time?" she asked eagerly, dark brown eyes shining.

"Well, yeah, actually," he answered, still surprised himself. "We even got him to drink." Maya laughed at this, and listened intently as Phoenix told her as much as he could remember of the little get together as he could. He knew if he tried to skip anything she'd catch him. By the time he finished most of the important stuff they had already gotten their food (burgers, of course).

She raised an eyebrow and gulped down her mouthful when Phoenix got to the end. "So he slept on your couch? What'd he think of that?"

"I don't know. He left before I could really talk to him." His grin lessened a bit and he stared down at his plate. "I think he's mad at me, though."

"Oh?" Maya tilted her head to the side quizzically. "What makes you say that?"

"Uh, I mean, I'm assuming, since we did sort of force him to come to the Joint with us and get drunk," he said, smiling a bit too widely. Maya looked suspicious of his sudden change in tone, but didn't call him on it. She instead sat back in her seat and changed the subject.

"It sounds like Larry was the only one who talked to any girls." Phoenix jumped and barely managed to swallow his mouthful of food without choking. She always had to bring this up, didn't she?

"Maya, I _-cough-_ told you not to worry about my love life."

She made a pleading look in response. "Nick, we both know how lonely you are. You haven't had a girlfriend in years, and you haven't even been looking for a new one!" Ignoring the whiney tone of her voice, he had to admit this was true. The last time he had a girlfriend was in college, when he was with a psychotic red-head who tried to kill him. That would turn anyone off girls for a long time.

Phoenix sighed. "Maya, it's-"

"No it's not!" she interrupted, anticipating what he was going to say. "It's not fine! We both know you need-"

"MAYA!" he said suddenly, slamming his hands on the table. The restaurant hushed for a second, then resumed in a murmur. Phoenix continued in a lower voice coated in frustrated anger. "_I'm not having this conversation with you._"

They sat and glared at each other until Maya turned away with a small humph and took another large bite out of her burger. Then she suddenly turned back toward him and asked, "What about Mr. Edgeworth?"

Phoenix jerked back, his face quickly turning pink. "What??"

The acolyte looked at him for a moment, confused, and then held her palms up with wide eyes as she realized what he was thinking. "Oh! No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that!"

He let out a short breath with a crooked smile, his cheeks still flushed. "Jeez, don't scare me like that. I thought you were suggesting I was... I mean, really. I'm not..." He gave a nervous chuckle and took a sip of soda.

"Oh, no. I mean, I'm sure you two would make a cute couple, but that's not what I meant." Phoenix choked again, amazed at how far she was taking this.

"Maya!"

"What?" She put on her best innocent face. "You would! And don't tell me Mr. Edgeworth isn't gay." Phoenix opened his mouth to argue, but she continued to give him that damn look. He sighed.

"Okay, but even if he is, _I'm_ not." She shrugged.

"Well, I meant to ask if you really haven't talked to him since he passed out. It seems weird that he'd just up and leave like that. Like, how would he get home?"

"Gumshoe gave him a ride."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "So you did see him this morning?"

He faltered so slightly that she almost missed it. "Yeah, but it wasn't anything important. He woke up right before Gumshoe came to check on him, and they left."

"You didn't talk at all?"

"Nope."

There was a long silence after that in which Maya stared curiously at Phoenix and he tried to ignore her. He eventually had to break it, since being stared at while you eat is extremely awkward. "What?" She continued to press him on the issue and he continued to avoid it. For someone so good at spotting lies in the courtroom he wasn't very good at hiding his own. Eventually they finished their meal, and Phoenix quickly paid and walked out, his assistant in tow.

"Really, Nick," she said, continuing where she left off as they walked toward the office. "You're being so obvious. What's the big deal?"

"There's no 'deal', Maya." He didn't turn to look at her as he spoke but quickened his pace.

"Was it something that happened last night? I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Pearly." There was no response. "Did you do something when you were drunk?" They rounded a corner onto the street the Wright and Co. office was on. "...Was it something Edgeworth did drunk?"

Phoenix abruptly stopped, nearly causing her to run into him. He shot her the coldest look he could manage. "Maya, _nothing happened_."

She was startled, at first, then put her fists on her hips and leaned forward. "Gosh, Nick, calm down. You make it sound like it was something huge." He turned and continued forward. She watched him for a few steps, then smirked and ran after him. "You know, it must have been interesting having a drunken gay man alone in your house with you."

He stiffened up and tried to will his face not to flush. "He's not gay, Maya."

"But you just said he was a few minutes ago!"

"I agreed that it's possible," he corrected her. "I never said he was. And I really don't think his preferences are any of our business."

"It is if you're drunk together." He frowned at her, and she smiled back.

"That really has nothing to do with anything. He was passed out."

"Or so you claim."

"Maya!"

"Well I'm sorry Nick!" They stopped again, facing each other, Maya with her hands on her hips and Phoenix's arms crossed. "But you're being so secretive over what you say is 'nothing' which is really making me wonder why 'nothing' is such a big deal!"

"You're the one making a big deal!"

"Because you won't tell me what happened!"

"And why should I?" He threw his hands down in frustration. "Why do you need to know? I don't owe you anything!"

They were both fuming, and unaware of the spectators their fight had attracted. There were a few mumbles of 'a lover's spat' and one or two comments on how tactless it is to fight in public. After a long moment Phoenix turned once again and walked straight to the Wright and Co. office door without looking back.

"...It really is something big, isn't it?" Maya said, frowning. Phoenix didn't respond, but stopped once the door was open, allowing her to go in first. As soon as she was inside he closed the door again and looked at her with a serious, almost urgent expression.

"Maya," he said, softly, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about it. I don't like fighting with you."

She was a little surprised at this. There must be something really important on his mind. She sat down on the couch and beckoned him to come sit by her, which he did. They sat for a moment, not really sure what to say, before the acolyte decided to try again.

"Nick... If you want to, you know, vent, my earlier vow of silence still stands."

He kept his gaze on the floor but smiled a little. "Thanks, Maya. It's just... I don't know, I'm kinda just stressed out. Maybe it doesn't even mean anything."

His assistant smiled at him, gently encouraging him to continue. "It was something that happened last night, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." He let out a very slow breath and turned his head away. "...It was after they dropped us off at my house and helped Edgeworth onto the couch, since he was unconscious and I was too drunk to carry him myself. He... woke up, once, and murmured something."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know, I couldn't hear it. I came over and asked him, and..." He began blushing and scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Well, he... grabbed my collar and, uh... kissed me."

Maya let this sink into her mind before she said anything. "...Okay... So, apparently Mr. Edgeworth is gay... possibly for you... That's okay, that's not too big of a problem. Just talk to him and tell him you're-"

"That's not the whole problem."

She looked over at him, confused. He was still turned away and blushing worse than ever. "...Uh... What?"

"That's not... the whole story..." He took a deep breath, during which Maya noticed just how tense he was. "I... I kissed him back."

He held his breath for her reaction, which was painfully delayed. She sat up and opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. After repeating this a few times she managed to say, "Oh... um... er... you... were drunk, right?"

"Maya, alcohol doesn't make you want things you normally wouldn't, it just lowers your inhibitions."

"...Oh... So... This means you're...?"

"Apparently."

"Oh." She bit her lip and let the information sink in. Her boss and best friend was gay or maybe bi. Well, okay, she could live with that. It's just kind of shocking to find out like this, especially since she's the first person he's come out to. It felt like a big responsibility suddenly dropped on her shoulders. And Mr. Edgeworth...

"Hey Nick, do you actually like Mr. Edgeworth, or..." She stopped, not sure how to tactfully say _was it just you being drunk and a hot guy kissed you_.

He finally turned back to look at her, his face red and uncertain. "Well, that's-"

_BRIIING, BRIIIIIING!_

They both jumped at the sound of the phone ringing. Maya got up to answer it but Phoenix beat her to it, seeming very relieved for the distraction, especially since they weren't actually open today. She just sighed and sat back down. After a minute or two he put down the phone and told her the good news- "New case, and it's not a murder this time." She half-smiled and followed him out the door, their destination being the detention center to talk to the client. Edgeworth and the previous night weren't brought up again.

* * *

**AN- Okay, I really hope that was in character. Given the odd situation. As you can see, I rather like the sibling dynamic between Phoenix and Maya. Please tell me if I pushed it to the point of being out of character, though. Thank you for reading! Chapter three will be up... eventually. Probably.**


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